Corat finds each of you, Sunae, Mitchim, Ash, and Zahirah, wherever you might be. While he's no Cherub, once he knows where to look he's unerring in getting there. He hands you an envelope, nice white paper, copper-colored coating on the inside. A formal invitation.

"Hey." While he's still fast and restless, Corat is no longer quite as hyper as he used to be. Switching from Wind to War has moderated him a bit, at least in that department. "He didn't have an address for you, so I told him I'd deliver them." When you open the envelopes you find they are announcements for a graduation--Ryuki has completed his Master's in Economics. In lieu of an invitation to the graduation itself, you are invited to a small party at the office, 4pm Friday. Seeing your disappointment, Corat explains.

"He's not going to the cap-and-gown thing--kind of a long story there. But first there'll be a celebration at the office, then we and the family and one or two close friends will walk down to the Watari home for a private celebration. Here's the address; here's a map in case you need one." He's barely stifling laughter at that last comment--he enjoys not needing maps.

Zahirah would smile and give Corat a hug when he delivers the letter to her. "Thank you, I would be honored. I assume since you're delivering these that their will be a chance to catch up with you as well and find out how you have been doing?"

For those new to the game and not familiar with her Zahirah is a nun, but she is not the kind of nun that wears a habit. She is normally dressed in jeans and t-shirts. Often one might get the feeling that she has just picked clothing out of second hand store bins for her t-shirts. She has a very simple gold ring on her left ring finger.

Zahirah would smile and give Corat a hug when he delivers the letter to her. "Thank you, I would be honored. I assume since you're delivering these that their will be a chance to catch up with you as well and find out how you have been doing?"

"Yes of course! I'll have to be a little careful depending on which mundanes are around, but yeah, looking forward to catching up."

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyarcana55

Sunae is at work and she took a break to talk to her friend. She hands him a bowl with fried rice and various meats, and of course, chop sticks.

She looks at the invitation in his hand and she doesn't take it

"Are you serious?"

He takes the food gladly, even though he doesn't need to eat. He scarfs down a couple of bites before speaking.

He was only half expecting that answer. "I'm afraid so. If it's any consolation he didn't write it--in theory it's a surprise party. His father and Scott and I put together the guest list, and neither of them had any beef with you. I just thought you should be invited, since the rest of the team from that day is. If you don't want to go..."

__________________

Criminy...these two have enough issues, they can sell subscriptions! (ladyarcana55, in a PM)

Last edited by tHEhERETIC; 05-20-2011 at 08:33 AM.
Reason: 'cos he's never been so, so serious

Kane smiled as he tilted back his head and emptied the beer bottle. Good tunes for a good crowd. He'd even scored a small win for his old boss ... that 20-something watching eagerly from the back turned out to blow a decent piano, when he got the chance to play backup. The kid might be somethin' in a couple of years.

Sure, Kane was workin' with Stone these days. But that didn't mean he couldn't scout a little talent, keep the music alive.

He stepped out the door, heading for the pickup. Stopped.

Well, speak of the ... Archangel.

“The songs went well, I trust, Servitor?” David’s voice rolled at the unhurried pace of Stone ... and was just about as unstoppable.

“Yes, sir,” Kane said, just a little bit of ‘cowboy’ shading his tones. His eyes glanced back at the dirty window. “They’re a nice bunch. Not fancy or fine, but they hang together.”

“As they should. But now I have need of you.”

Kane nodded.

The rock-hard Superior passed a flimsy card to the country singer. Kane’s fair eyes studied it, then looked up, confused.

“San Francisco?”

“A new ... contractor,” David said. “One who can find or make new talismans. One who can be a source of relics. It is good to test the strength of such a one, to see his power. Yes?”

“Yessir.”

“You shall approach this Ryuki ... the younger, taller man, not his father. You shall ask for the ‘Mighty Squeaky Hammer of Smiting.’ You shall not divulge this to any other.”

Small danger, Kane thought. The whole thing sounds like one of those practical jokes from the tee-vee. Was David losing it? That sort of thought was common enough around Eli, but the Malakite Superior was known to be of – literally – sterner stuff.

“You shall also tell him this,” David went on, briefly whispering a short message. “Bring back any answer you receive. Have you any questions?”

Normally, the safe answer was no. But Kane was curious. “Sir ... is this anything to do with that ruckus down in LaLa? It’d be nice to shake things up a bit for the Hellboys, keep ‘em from getting comfy.”

A thin smile crossed the stony features. “I see. Eager as a Virtue should be.” The Archangel turned, looking westward. “And perhaps not without satisfaction.”

And with that, the Archangel passed into the earth without a sound.

Kane sighed, slung his guitar, slipped the card into a shirt pocket.

Crazy or not, he had his marching orders.

__________________“It's not railroading if you offer the PCs tickets and they stampede to the box office, waving their money. Metaphorically speaking”
--Elizabeth McCoy, In Nomine Line Editor
Author: "What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Stronger"

Last edited by Rocket Man; 05-27-2011 at 07:17 PM.
Reason: Retcon to match new reality.

He was only half expecting that answer. "I'm afraid so. If it's any consolation he didn't write it--in theory it's a surprise party. His father and Scott and I put together the guest list, and neither of them had any beef with you. I just thought you should be invited, since the rest of the team from that day is. If you don't want to go..."

"I'm not a part of that team. They made that abundantly clear. I'll teach them what they need to know, and I will work with them, but I am not a part of the team. An occasion such as that is reserved for friends. I am not Ryuki's friend. A business acquaintance at the most, but not his friend. I tried doing that and it was a fool's effort. But, I was invited by his father and I will not offend him, so I will go. But you know where I stand."

A thirty-something woman, dark-haired and with medium-toned skin sits at a computer, in a small room, with a bed that appears to be used more as a storage shelf for assorted bits of various gadgets then for its intended purpose. She is clicking and skimming rapidly through a series of technology enthusiast blogs when her email program spontaneously loads, with a new message from a very familiar address. It reads

”“Servitor:I have a sensitive mission I need you to complete. We have a new contractor of sorts in San Francisco, one who supposedly can acquire or create unique talismans--even relics. I'd like to put his skills to the test. I am sending you a business card. Go to the address on the card and speak to Ryuki.He is frequently in need of a technical consultant, use that as an excuse to talk to him. Do not discuss this business with anyone else, and be aware that his father has a similar name. You want the young man of average height, not the short older man. Tell him we wish to acquire the 'Mighty Squeaky Hammer of Smiting' Give him this scroll as payment.""

As she reads the message, a business card printer in the corner of the room prints off a business card, despite currently not being plugged in, and a rolled up scroll appears on the desk, with a small note of Disturbance.

She blinks That's unusual she thinks. But then Jean is an Elohite and Elohim are inscrutable like that. His reasons will surely be obvious after the dust settles. In the mean time, this will be a change from fixing computers after their owners used the CD tray for a coffee cup holder. She pockets the card, and slides the scroll in her purse and prepares to venture out.

[I hope my SFX were OK?]

__________________
There are 10 types of people in the world, those who understand trinary, those who don't, and those who are sick to death of this darn joke.

Kane KinemanSomewhere in the "Inland Empire"
...
Kane sighed, slung his guitar, slipped the card into a shirt pocket.

Crazy or not, he had his marching orders.

Thursday night
The nonstops from Ontario to San Francisco were sold out Thursday evening, so he had to connect through LAX. The common wisdom when connecting through LA was to stay on task, not wander around the airport more than you had to.

Kane would see a uniformed pilot hurrying to Gate 11--the same one written on Kane's ticket. A careful man, he walk-ran in the middle of walkways, where anyone with ill intent would have plenty of witnesses. He didn't look like he needed the precaution though. He wasn't very tall but he looked beefy under that uniform, like he could take on anyone who tried to storm the cockpit.

On the plane Kane would hear a Disturbance from the tail section of the plane. Before he can react, a male flight attendant would lean over him with a cup of water. "Relax, angel. It's just the Wind." He winks at Kane, lays a blanket over the sleeping passenger next to him, and moves on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andygal

Ida HarrisA studio apartment in a San Francisco suburb

...
She pockets the card, and slides the scroll in her purse and prepares to venture out.

[I hope my SFX were OK?]

((SFX were fine--it's an Archangel. Sorry I didn't answer sooner, but I failed to subscribe to my own thread!))

Friday afternoon
Traffic in San Francisco was busy as usual, but the BART was reliable as usual. It was an orderly town as befits an angelic stronghold, orderly but with creative freedoms carefully defended. It was a safe place for an angel or anyone else who didn't quite fit in.

Ida would arrive at the address on the card around 3:30 that afternoon ((unless the player has other ideas!)). It was a high-rise office in a good part of town, respectable enough for rich clients but sensible enough not to be wasting money on a ritzy address. The address was for the 6th floor, a "Pacific World Bank."

Once the elevator doors open, Ida would find herself in a tidy office, tastefully decorated and buzzing with activity. The secretary is young, early to mid-20's, but smart and professional.
You'll notice that on one wall are articles about the company's history from various magazines. Prominently displayed is an article from a minor finance magazine entitled "Splitting Heirs". The subtitle reads "for every Paris Hilton frittering away the family fortune is a dozen young men and women defying the old adage and growing their legacies" Cut and framed from the magazine are two shots, a half page featuring a very flattering photograph of a young Asian man and a blurb about a Russian merger, crossreferencing the other page on the wall. In that page is a reasonably good looking Russian man about the same age, and a blurb identifying him as "Pavel Ivanov".
The pictures of the bank's owners, Ryukawa Watari and Vladimir Ivanov, suggest two very stern men.
The secretary notices Ida and addresses her with practiced friendliness. "Hello ma'am. How can we help you?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyarcana55

She smiles

"But it is good to see you again. How have you been?"

Earlier that week
"I'm well--very well. My transfer to War is official now, not just on loan anymore. By keeping me officially Friend of the Unseen, Michael had someone who could not be spied on and Janus got kept in the loop about Michael's project. Now that that's over, I'm training. Used to be I could beat traffic. Now I can beat most opponents on the field. Not a bad trade-off.
"As for 'John Wyatt'...well, that head injury means he's on disability, until further notice. So I keep the role and don't have to put in hours. Just fly where I want to fly." His expression tells you that 'want' is the wrong word here. "I see you're still working. Still a helluva good cook--you did cook this, right? Hey, as long as you enjoy the work...otherwise I've got a food budget I really don't need. Unless Gabriel-Soldekai have good use for you at Chinese restaurants..."

__________________

Criminy...these two have enough issues, they can sell subscriptions! (ladyarcana55, in a PM)

Earlier that week
"I'm well--very well. My transfer to War is official now, not just on loan anymore. By keeping me officially Friend of the Unseen, Michael had someone who could not be spied on and Janus got kept in the loop about Michael's project. Now that that's over, I'm training. Used to be I could beat traffic. Now I can beat most opponents on the field. Not a bad trade-off.

"I have to spar with you one of these days. That sounds like it would be fun."

Quote:

Originally Posted by tHEhERETIC

"As for 'John Wyatt'...well, that head injury means he's on disability, until further notice. So I keep the role and don't have to put in hours. Just fly where I want to fly." His expression tells you that 'want' is the wrong word here. "I see you're still working. Still a helluva good cook--you did cook this, right? Hey, as long as you enjoy the work...otherwise I've got a food budget I really don't need. Unless Gabriel-Soldekai have good use for you at Chinese restaurants..."

"Of course I did. I wouldn't have given it to you unless I did. I'll always be happy to help, what do you need?"

"I have to spar with you one of these days. That sounds like it would be fun."

"I think it would be. Sword is not my first weapon so you'd be a challenge. Now a bow and arrow--that's practically a machine gun in my hands now."

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyarcana55

"Of course I did. I wouldn't have given it to you unless I did. I'll always be happy to help, what do you need?"

"Honestly it's mostly a social visit. There is one thing though. Marty's probably going to be there, and he can't decide between Faith and Stone and Fire and Wind. Maybe you can show him the finer points of Fire? You're not the typical Soldier, but then neither is he. Because of Nisroc, their exposure to angels in general is going to be limited."

((Everyone else--I realize it's Sunday there, but if your character is not doing anything special before Friday, let me know and I'll go forward.
Also, is a chat session humanly possible? Because of the time zone difference, it would likely be on a Friday or Saturday evening your time.))

__________________

Criminy...these two have enough issues, they can sell subscriptions! (ladyarcana55, in a PM)